Fujifilm FinePix Z33WP

Review Index – (updated 08 December’09)

DigitalCameraInfo
Sorry to report the Z33WP is not that good of a camera. Its photos had color that barely passed muster and the movies were not much better. But you know what, it’s cheap and that’s the reason a lot of people will end up buying it. On the positive side it’s waterproof which means it’s a great beach camera just as long as you don’t go deeper than 10 feet and you don’t mind mediocre looking pictures.

Steve’s Digicams
Here is one of the most affordable compact cameras on the market. With a 10 megapixel sensor this camera is not deficient in the features department. This thing is a no brainier no matter how much photo experience they have, just pick it up and start shooting. Its photo quality is very good but it is a little slow to operate.

PCW
“It’s nice and small, and there aren’t many buttons to worry about. Picture quality wasn’t up to much, though. Although the 10-megapixel pictures were fine when taken in good light, indoors they were speckled with noise and poorly colored.”
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Cameras.uk
“This is a relatively inexpensive, waterproof digital camera. Fuji has placed the emphasis on fun and the Finepix Z33WP is available in a range of bright colours. Highlights include ease of use, but picture quality struggles in places.”
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PCMag
“With dismal still-image quality, poor video quality, an LCD you can’t see in the sun, and a lens that fogs up when it hits the water, the Fujifilm FinePix Z33WP isn’t a good choice for a beach camera.”
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Digital Camera Review
“The camera struggles in difficult lighting conditions, and finding the right balance in shooting settings is sometimes tricky. Shooting in Auto and Scene Recognition mode will take some of these decisions out of the hands of the user, but it’s a far from perfect overall shooting experience.”

Pocket-lint
“But when all is said and done, the Fujifilm Finepix Z33WP is an easy to use and fun camera that can be easily thrown into a bag heading down to the beach, without worrying about it getting wet or filled with sand. It looks great, but doesn’t quite offer the performance to match. “
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ITReviews
“The quality of the images is generally sharp, authentic and vivid, as you’d expect from a 10-megapixel camera, without being especially outstanding, which is what you’d expect from an extremely affordable compact digital. In short, if you want something inherently cool and perfect for a beach holiday in particular, then this would be an ideal camera to slip into your bathing shorts.”

CNET
“The Fujifilm FinePix Z33WP is an inexpensive waterproof point-and-shoot ultracompact camera. And by inexpensive I mean that it’s considerably less than other waterproof cameras. However, the pictures and performance aren’t the greatest, so while the Z33WP on paper looks like a good deal for an everyday pocket camera, you’re better using it as a secondary camera specifically for shooting in rain and snow, or at the beach and pool.”
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Imaging Resource
“As you’d expect, there are some significant tradeoffs in optical and image quality that come from combining the words “least-expensive” and “waterproof” in a single product description, but frankly, there are times when having any pictures of a special event is more important than the absolute quality of the images.”

CNET UK
“The Fujifilm FinePix Z33WP’s definition isn’t great and its operation is rather sluggish, but, despite all that, this camera is so neat and pretty that you’ve got to cut it some slack. Perhaps its biggest problem is that it doesn’t look like a cheap camera, so it’s disappointing when it starts behaving like one.”
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DPInterface
“Bad news first: there’s below average battery life, lack of image stabilization and no manual controls. On the positive note, the Z33 spots several unique features – Couple Timer and Group Timer are the two new ones while we’ve already seen Natural Light mode and Intelligent Flash on previous Fujifilm cameras. There’s also a whole bunch of playback bells and whistles, including two very basic movie editing tools and functions to make pictures more attractive and blog-friendly.”

Photoxels
“The Fujifilm FinePix Z33WP is a fun and stylish digital camera that produces good images with point-and-shoot simplicity. Recommended for the casual active user who wants to take pictures in inclement weather or loves to spend time in the swimming pool, on the beach or boating. It is well designed, colorful and should turn heads wherever you use it.”